


A Universe Emerging From A Wish

by sitabethel



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Euroshipping, M/M, prequel to Mere Force Is Feebleness, sleepy idiot programmers being nerds and hooking up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 18:01:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20086438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sitabethel/pseuds/sitabethel
Summary: Domino City's being evacuated during a storm, but there are deadlines to meet...





	A Universe Emerging From A Wish

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am, trying to post this... I realize the title is "euro" in my Google.doc b/c I never gave it a real title. I just stole another line from the e.e. cummings poem "being to timelessness as its to time" where I got the name for Mere Force Is Feebleness. 
> 
> This is how Ryou and Seto became a couple in the Mere Force verse

The wind stole Ryou’s breath when he stepped outside. He braced himself against a lamp post, his arm raised to shield his eyes from the torrents of rain lashing at his face. Only one car braved the roads in these storms, and Ryou had already called to check about the buses. There was no choice but to walk. It was only one mile; he could do it. He refused to consider the possibility of failing. Leaning into the gusts, Ryou marched forward. 

His hands gripped the straps of his backpack. He’d triple-wrapped it in trash bags and electric tape to keep the bag watertight. Minaturature streams of water rushed over the tops of his shoes, but Ryou focused on placing one foot in front of the other. The rain soaked through his fingers, chilling them. The front fringes of his hair clung to his face. Ryou narrowed his eyes to slits, squinting against the storm as he reached the first traffic light. It was red, but without traffic Ryou splashed into the road and crossed without waiting. 

His destination rose before him, the storm-reflecting glass dark and ominous. Ryou sighed, a quarter block more and he’d reach Kaiba Corp HQ. Sniffing, Ryou trudged forward. The water was up to his ankles now—the rain fall was more than the drains could handle. His foot slipped out of his waterlogged sneakers. Ryou called out, almost crashing to the ground, but his laptop was in the bag, and he didn’t want to risk breaking it, so Ryou tightened his core and forced himself to regain his balance. He kicked off the other shoe, grabbed them both, and rushed the last few meters to the front door. 

Ryou used his keycard to gain access to the inside of the building. The first floor was empty and dark. Ryou’s gaze scanned the room. He thought of ghosts. With the quiet, it didn’t take much imagination. The soundproofing of the building kept most of the storm’s noise from reaching Ryou inside, but a faint howl from the wind echoed through the air vents. Ryou fished into his pocket for a small keychain flashlight and clicked it on. He swept the area with the light. Shadows rose and shrank against the walls and floor. Ryou tested the elevators—the lights glowed and with a chime the doors spread open for him and he stepped inside. Shivering, Ryou broke into his sealed backpack and changed as he rose to the correct floor. 

Dressed in warm sweats and soaked hair toweled down, Ryou strode to the game development wing on the 13th floor. A single light glowed down the hall. Ryou’s heart vaulted into his throat. Holding his breath, he tiptoed through the hall in the house slippers he’d switched into. Ryou scanned the office cubicles for a weapon. One of the empty desks had an ornamental sword hanging above a computer. Not the cheap stamped steel, half tang sort the tourists bought, but a decent one. Ryou lay his backpack and plastic sack of wet clothes down and grabbed the sword. He snuck to the door, kicking it open and pointing it at the thief who’d decided to break into Kaiba Corp during the typhoon. 

“Kaiba?” Ryou’s cheeks burned as he realized his mistake. He dropped the sword and bowed. “Sir! I-I’m sorry, I—”

“What are you doing here?” Kaiba’s gaze remained fixated on the screen. 

“Our deadline is this week. I came to make sure we stayed on schedule.” 

“You know Domino is being evacuated because of the storm, correct?” The clacking on the keyboard ceased as Kaiba lowered his fingers and raised his head. 

“Yes sir.” 

“So why aren’t you evacuating with Yugi and the others?”

“Because the deadline is this week. Besides, is a typhoon enough to destroy a building you’ve engineered?” Ryou blushed again. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean that as flattery, but statistically speaking, I’m probably safer here than in an evacuation shelter.” 

“Then by all means…” Kaiba leaned back in his chair, a smirk gracing his features. 

He gestured to the two desks across from his. Four of them sat together, arranged like a four leaf clover so all the workers would face each other. Ryou nodded, but ran to get his things before setting his laptop on the desk and turning it on. 

“You came prepared,” Seto commented when he noticed the camping backpack. 

“Even with both of us, it’s going to take all week, and who knows if I’ll be able to navigate the roads afterward. The streets are already flooding.”

“There’s a helicopter on the roof. I’ll fly us to the mansion when this is over.” 

“Us?” Ryou peeked above his laptop screen to catch a flash of Seto’s mako-blue eyes. 

“Over five hundred people work in this building, and you were the only one with enough guts and dedication to work. You’ve earned transportation to safety once we’ve completed our assignment.” 

“Thank you, Kaiba, sir. I appreciate it.” Ryou bowed again before diving back into the files spanning across his taskbar. 

They worked in silence for four solid hours before Ryou stood to stretch and use the bathroom. His stomach growled. Ryou held it. He’d brought some meal replacement powder and protein bars, but instead of grabbing one, Ryou glanced at Seto. 

“Are you hungry?” 

Seto gave Ryou a confused flick of his eyes, fingers racing across the keyboard. 

“There’s a cafeteria on this floor, and the food will go to waste if no one eats it. I thought I could cook us dinner.” 

“I suppose I should eat.” Seto sighed. “Mokuba's already mad at me for staying behind.” 

“He’s away at college right now, yes?” 

Kaiba gave Ryou a grunt of acknowledgment as he continued to work. 

“I’m glad. I’m sure he’d stay with you if he were here, and while I have great confidence that we’ll weather this storm without incident...it’s a big brother’s job, right? To make sure his siblings are safe no matter what.” 

Kaiba added another grunt, and Ryou smiled as he walked to the cafeteria. Thinking of siblings always made Ryou nostalgic. If Mokuba was in college, it meant Amane would be old enough…

Ryou shook his head. These thoughts wouldn’t do him any good when he had a deadline to meet. He wandered into the kitchen half of the cafeteria and did a quick inventory. He made a soufflé with scraps of ham and vegetables normally used to fill the salad bar. As it baked, Ryou tossed together a quick tart with a basket of apples sitting next to the cash register. After the food cooled enough to serve, Ryou brought everything on a tray along with a pot of coffee for them to share. 

“I figure we’ll need the coffee before the night is up.” 

Seto grabbed a cup and drank, eyes glued to the screen. Ryou cleared his throat. 

“Thank you,” Seto said. 

“The food.” 

“One more minute.” 

Ryou ate half of his meal before setting the plate on his desk. “Seto Kaiba.” 

“What?”

“Eat.” 

“Did...did you use my full name to scold me?” Seto ripped his gaze away from his computer. 

“I’m sorry.” Ryou blushed. 

“Fearless little shit, aren’t you?” Kaiba chuckled as he bit into his soufflé. “And you can cook.” 

“I didn’t have much to work with.” Ryou hid his blush by digging back into his soufflé. 

“Yet you managed to bake a soufflé and a tart.” 

“I hope they’re passable.” 

“I’ve paid more for less edible food.” 

“I’m going to take that as a compliment.” Ryou smiled. 

Silence settled between them as they ate. Seto marched toward the bathroom and returned to his desk, slamming coffee down his throat as he worked. Ryou didn’t comment, progressing his own tasks before refilling the coffee during his next bathroom break. His eyes burned as the hours passed. He noticed the time was 6:58 AM and he sighed. 

“I need sleep. My eyes aren’t cooperating anymore.” 

As always, Seto grunted. 

“You should take a nap as well. I can set an alarm for 6 hours from now.” 

“Six?” Seto scowled as if the thought of six straight hours of sleep was obscene. 

“If I cut it to four, will you actually close your eyes?” Ryou asked. 

“You sleep. I’ve stayed up for much longer than this before.” 

Not wanting to argue with his boss, Ryou unpacked a blanket and pillow from his bag, curled in his oversized office chair, and closed his eyes. Seconds later, his alarm screeched. Ryou cursed beneath his breath as he swiped the alarm away and glared at his phone—groggy mind unconvinced that four hours had passed despite the clock saying 11 AM. 

“Morning, sunshine,” Seto muttered as he worked. 

“Coffee.” Ryou grumbled as he rubbed his eyes. He was on his second cup when his brain caught up with Seto jokingly calling him sunshine. Even sleep-deprived and in an unusual situation, Ryou couldn’t imagine Seto ever saying that and convinced himself he’d imagined the entire thing. They finished off the last of the soufflé and tart before drowning themselves into their work. 

To keep themselves away from the storm, they worked in one of the interior office rooms, and even with the howling of the storm outside, the lack of windows distorted the time. Ryou started when he realized it was midnight. 

“I need another break.” Ryou shoved himself away from the computer, pacing. 

“Fine, but keep quiet so you don’t distract me.” 

“Aren’t your eyes burning?” Ryou frowned. 

Seto slid eye drops across the desk. Ryou thanked Seto and dripped the solution into his eyes, but they didn’t help the sleep-deprived stinging. Ryou rubbed his temples, wandering to the cafeteria kitchens again so Seto could work. He fixed chicken fettuccine, doctoring the pre-jarred sauce as much as possible. He found mini ice-cream cups in the freezer. Ryou brought six of them for the two of them to split. 

“I’d say I’d spoil you bringing you every meal this way, but I know you’re used to being served your meals.” 

“True, but your cooking does offer a certain_ je ne sais quoi.”_

“My secret is using cheap cafeteria staples.” Ryou winked. 

Seto smiled at him. It took Ryou a full minute to register they weren’t working before he turned to his computer again, but he only managed another few hours before his eyes drooped shut. 

“Ryou,” Seto said. 

“Hmmm?” 

“Take another nap.” 

“What about you?” 

“I’m fine.” Seto yawned. 

“You’re yawning.” 

“I’m...fine.” 

“You’ll work better if you sleep.” Ryou yawned himself. 

Seto glanced at Ryou. Ryou grabbed his blanket and offered half. Seto gave him an unimpressed look, but rolled his chair closer. Ryou tucked the blanket over both their laps, and curled into his own chair. He shifted, trying to find a comfortable position, and eventually fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. 

Ryou jerked when the alarm interrupted his dreams. A soft groan brought his attention to Seto. Ryou realized he’d leaned over and used Seto’s shoulder as a pillow while they slept, and in return, Seto had rested his head on top of Ryou’s. 

“I’m so sorry.” Ryou bowed in his seat. 

“It’s...fine,” Seto spoke in a soft voice, his cheeks tinted light pink. 

“I, um, I guess we should get back to work.” Ryou tucked a strip of loose hair behind his ear. 

“Do you know how to make muffins?” Seto asked abruptly. 

“I—of course?”

“Would you make some?” Seto traced the outline of the spacebar of his computer with his pointer finger. “It’s not an order, you’re not getting paid to cook, so I don’t expect you to take requests, but, I-I just thought it’d be nice—”

“I’d love to!” Ryou jumped to his feet, interrupting Seto’s slight ramble. “I’ll bring more coffee too!” 

He ran off to hide his burning cheeks from Seto’s view. In the kitchen, Ryou splashed his face with cold water to wake himself up and clear his mind. He didn’t have time for a sleep-deprived, work-tension crush. He had to look over code. He had to run tests on their game’s physics engine. First he had to bake muffins. 

The distraction helped and by the time Ryou returned to the office, Seto was engrossed, once again, with his computer screens. He glanced at Ryou and smiled when he saw the basket of muffins and pot of coffee. 

Ryou was not prepared for Seto’s smile. 

Ryou had been prepared to work through a typhoon. 

Ryou was prepared to sleep in a chair and eat protein bars for five days with little sleep to make sure he reached his deadline. 

Ryou _had not been prepared_ to see Seto Kaiba smiling _directly at him_. 

His heart fluttered in his chest. He didn’t have time for a work crush, but it damn well penciled itself into Ryou’s schedule nonetheless. 

“Is lemon poppyseed okay?” 

Seto gave a single nod. He poured them each a refill on coffee and grabbed one of the muffins, sighing as he bit into it. 

Ryou forced himself to work as he ate half of the muffins. He took a break several hours later to use the locker room showers—there was a gym a few floors down—and fix lunch. As they ate again, Ryou stared at his soup. 

“Is something the matter?” Seto asked. 

“No. I have a question, but I was afraid it’d be too personal.” 

“Ask.” Seto shrugged. “I won’t answer if I don’t want to.” 

“All those years ago, after the entire Cube mess, did you...really go to Aaru?” Ryou’s hand shook, so he had to lower his spoon back into the bowl. 

“Yes.” 

“And you actually saw Atem?”

“Yes. Why? Do you miss him?” 

“Atem?” Ryou laughed. “No. I didn’t know him very well. Most the time ‘I’ interacted with the Other Yugi—it wasn’t actually me.” 

Seto nodded. 

Ryou sighed, feeling he owed Seto an explanation. “It’s just comforting to know—that the afterlife exists—and you saw someone who’s crossed over.” 

“Who did you lose?” Seto asked. 

“Mother and sister. I was little.” Ryou stirred his soup. “It’s been so long, I hardly remember them, but I remember I miss them.” 

“I know what you mean.” Seto nodded. 

“I’m sorry, this isn’t work appropriate.” Ryou spooned tomato bisque into his mouth, trying to think of a change of subject. 

“It’s fine.” Seto fiddled with his mouse. 

“Did it help? After you saw him and beat him?” 

“No,” Seto said. 

“I didn’t think it would. All the bananas have gone brown in the cafeteria. Want banana bread for dinner?” 

“I suppose we have no choice.” Seto smiled. “Wouldn’t want to waste food the company has already paid for.” 

After they ate, they returned to work. For the most part, Ryou managed to focus on his task without staring too much at Seto, but he did glance at him from time to time. Their routine repeated itself: work, piss, work, eat, work, nap, work, coffee, coffee, coffee. By the sixth day Ryou was loopy for need of proper sleep. Seto kept raking his fingers through his hair—an act Ryou found adorable and distracting. Seto blinked at the screen before dropping back in his chair with a groan. 

“Every thing’s blurring together and I can’t find what’s wrong with this line. Will you look at it?” 

“No problem.” Ryou rubbed his eyes. 

Ryou grew lightheaded when he stood. He dropped into Seto’s lap without thinking of what he was doing before leaning too close to the screen and trying to make sense of the blurry lines in front of him. Seto stiffened beneath Ryou’s weight, but leaned forward, peeking over Ryou’s shoulder and holding Ryou steady in his lap. 

“Um...well, you see…” Ryou ran his finger over the screen, more fascinated with Seto’s hands on his hips than the code. 

“Mmm-hmm.” Seto hummed as he smelled Ryou’s hair. 

“Oh!” Ryou’s finger froze in place. “You didn’t close this parenthesis here.” 

“Goddammit.” Seto leaned forward and added the missing punctuation. “Good eye.” 

“We make a great pair.” Ryou smiled. 

“Maybe we should finish like this.” 

“Somehow I think it would make things harder.” Ryou grinned. 

Seto’s chin lay propped against Ryou’s shoulder. When Ryou turned, their faces were close enough for their noses to touch. They both lidded their eyes and smiled. Ryou felt pulled toward Seto by gravity. Their lips almost brushed before Ryou stumbled to his own seat. If he started, he wouldn’t stop, and they were _so close. _He promised himself afterward. 

The only reason Ryou managed to push through the last few hours of work was because he imagined the happiness on Seto’s face once they finished on time. True, the thought of Seto Kaiba being happy was a sleep-deprived hallucination, but it was a pleasant thought to cradle in the back of Ryou’s mind as he ran his final system tests. 

“_Huh_.” Ryou dropped his head on top of his desk when he finished. 

“And. Done.” Seto smack his keyboard aside and stood, stretching. 

“So, yeah? We’re really done? Actually done?” Ryou peeked up from his mess of hair which had fallen from its bun. 

“Done enough. I’m sure we’ll need to patch some things, but—”

“I’m so happy we’re finished!” Ryou threw his arms around Seto. 

Seto stumbled backward a step before adjusting. His left arm curled around Ryou’s waist, and he combed stray hair away from Ryou’s face.

“Your help was invaluable.” 

“I wouldn’t let some small thing like an act of god keep me from a deadline,” Ryou teased. 

“Precisely.” Seto smiled. 

Ryou’s heart raced. He tilted his head, half closing his eyes. Seto leaned closer, hesitating as if unsure. Ryou threaded his fingers through Seto’s thick hair and pulled him the rest of the way. Their lips pressed heavily against each other, and they swayed on their feet—both exhausted from the week. 

“Want to go to my office?” Seto whispered. “There’s a leather couch and it’s much more comfortable to sleep on than these chairs.” 

“Race you to the elevator.” 

Ryou snatched his blanket and dashed through the desks and chairs. Seto vaulted over one of the desks and leapt, managing to slap the elevator door seconds before Ryou reached him. They panted and grinned at each other as they waited for the doors to open. Seto used his thumbprint to select his private floor. 

“I won.” He side-glanced at Ryou as the elevator lifted higher. 

“I planned my course based on the paths between the desks. You were more innovative and went over the last obstacle. You deserve the victory for thinking three-dimensionally.” 

“And since I won, I deserve a reward,” Seto said, a sly depth in his tone. 

“Do you?” Ryou raised an eyebrow. “What sort of reward is good enough for one of the richest men in the world?” 

“You.” Seto lifted Ryou into the air and pushed him against the wall, kissing him again. 

Ryou flung his arms around Seto, returning the kiss. They massaged their lips together until the elevator stopped, and Seto carried Ryou into the enormous lobby. Pushing through the double doors at the end, they burst into Seto’s main office. The room was bright but gray. Rain pounded against the glass, but the drops were more subdued than when Ryou had run into the building a week ago. They’d weathered through the brunt of the storm without giving it much thought. 

Ryou fumbled with Seto’s tie and the buttons of his shirt. Seto set Ryou onto a plush, overstuffed leather sofa and Ryou exhaled audibly in relief when he sank into the thick cushions. 

“This is so much more comfortable,” he spoke against Seto’s lips as he undid the buttons of Seto’s shirt. 

“And it has a few useful secrets.” Seto grinned. 

“Yeah? Such as?”

“Watch this.” Seto reached to the arm rest. 

Ornamental petal shapes stuck out from the front of the arm rest. The shapes looked like ordinary decoration, but Seto slid them into a spiral instead of a circle. When he positioned the last petal-shape, a click echoed in the room, and Seto lifted up the top of the arm rest to reveal a secret compartment. 

“Like a puzzle box. How amazing.” Ryou’s eyes lit up. 

“I spend a lot of time in the office. It helps to have a few discrete comforts stashed away.” Seto withdrew a bottle of lube. 

“Brilliant.” Ryou spread the blanket over the couch, slipped out of his clothes, and stole the bottle from Seto’s hand so Seto could also undress. 

Ryou set the lube within reach, but focused on trailing his hands across Seto’s naked chest. He was light-headed from lack of sleep, and Ryou giggled as he dragged his fingers over Seto’s body. Seto joined him, and they laughed while acquainting themselves with the other’s body. Ryou kissed a pale scar cutting across Seto’s chest. He didn’t ask about it, and Seto didn’t ask about Ryou’s scars, they only kissed and laughed and brushed their fingertips across each other’s skin. 

Several minutes later, Ryou’s gentle touches deepened to needy grabs. Their mouths met, more urgent than before. Ryou grabbed the bottle beside him and lathered the gel over his hard cock. Seto grabbed Ryou's lube hand and guided two of Ryou's fingers into his body. Ryou moaned, the thought of being inside Seto sent shudders dancing through his nerves.

Before he could ask Seto what he wanted, Seto grabbed Ryou’s shoulders, straddled his lap, and impaled himself. The breath choked in Ryou’s throat. His cheeks burned and the warmth spread throughout his entire body. Ryou sank his fingers into Seto’s hips, needing something to hold onto as Seto bounced onto Ryou’s cock. His legs were so long that Seto had to plant one foot on the ground, keeping the other knee digging into the plush leather. He grabbed the back of the sofa for leverage as he circled his hips. 

They echoed little grunts back and forth at each other while they moved. Sweat tickled the nape of Ryou’s neck. Ryou tossed his head back, moaning and enjoying their closeness as they moved. Seto slowed, sinking low and rocking his hips back and forth while grinding his cock against Ryou’s belly. Ryou took the hint and wrapped his hand around Seto’s shaft. 

“_Nngh!_” Seto whimpered when Ryou touched him. He curled closer to Ryou, burying his face in Ryou’s hair. 

Even as they both hitched against each other, they both stifled a yawn, bursting into laughter afterward. Ryou patted Seto’s hip with his free hand. 

“Lean over the other arm rest.” Ryou gestured to the side of the couch without the compartment. 

Seto gripped the arm rest. One foot still on the ground and one knee resting on the sofa, Seto lifted his ass into the air. He glanced over his shoulder, tossing Ryou a smoldering look. Ryou hummed, smoothing his hand over the curve of Seto’s ass and appreciating the sight before adding more lube and guiding his cock back into Seto. Ryou held Seto’s waist and pounded into his ass. Despite the fatigue of the week slowing Ryou, he kept a decent pace, urged on by the delicious friction from his thrusts. Seto grabbed the lube, covered his cock, and stroked himself. 

“That’s right. Touch yourself for me,” Ryou growled in a rough, seductive voice. 

“_Ah!_” Seto gasped, hand moving a little faster. 

Ryou sped up to keep their speed in sync. Seto’s thighs tightened and his asshole squeezed Ryou’s girth. Tiny spasms wracked through Seto’s body as he neared the edge, and Ryou allowed his own pleasure to swell, peak, and spill inside of Seto. 

“Oh fuck! Fuck! _Fuck!_” Ryou wailed, his hair tossing around his shoulders as he continued to thrust through his orgasm. 

“Ryou!” Seto whimpered, arching his back as he tugged on his dick. His toes curled and he trembled as he came. 

“Goddamn.” Ryou closed the compartment before dropping his head onto the armrest. 

Seto dropped onto Ryou's chest, catching his breath. They lay quietly. Ryou’s arms wrapped around Seto’s lanky frame. Seto broke the silence. 

“You’ve been cooking all our meals. If you’d like, I can fly you to the mansion and treat you to dinner.” 

“I’d enjoy that,” Ryou said, teasing Seto’s arms with little brushes of his fingers. “I’ve had several ideas for projects I think would benefit Kaiba Corp if—”

“Ryou,” Seto interrupted. 

“Yes?”

“You can schedule a meeting any time here, but—”

“Oh my god, you were asking me out on a date!” Ryou jerked to a sitting position, his mouth a shocked O. “I’m so sorry! My brain’s asleep, and I assumed your offer was somehow work-related, and I—”

Seto twisted around so he could quiet Ryou with a kiss. He smirked when he pulled away. 

“I’d like to do this again sometime soon. When I’m less tired.” 

“_Ha-ha_, yeah, I’m...a little loopy right now.” Ryou blushed. “I would love to have dinner at your place once the storm lets up.” 

“_Mmm_.” Seto hummed his approval, pushing gently at Ryou’s chest so they could twine their bodies together and sleep longer than four hours. 


End file.
